Weekend Event Planner

These are the 12 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

There is absolutely no shortage of things to do this weekend in and around Dallas, from pro golfers strutting their stuff, three separate festivals highlighting different subjects, four big-name concerts, and much more.

Below are the best options for your precious free time Thursday through Sunday. Don't like what you see? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, May 19

2016 AT&T Byron Nelson Championship
The annual AT&T Byron Nelson Championship, taking place through Sunday at the Four Seasons Las Colinas, is a homecoming for one of the best golfers on the planet, Jordan Spieth. Other participating players include Stuart Appleby, Jason Dufner, Ernie Els, Charley Hoffman, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Ian Poulter, and more.

2016 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards
The annual CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, presented by Tequila Herradura, celebrates the top talent in the Dallas-Fort Worth restaurant and bar community. The swanky event is being held at the Hall of State at Fair Park and emceed by celebrity chef Dean Fearing. Expect food and drink samples, live entertainment, and, of course, our famous swag.

2016 Soluna Festival
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra kicked off its annual Soluna Festival earlier this week, but there are plenty more events happening through June 4. Events occurring this weekend include a concert by Itzhak Perlman and Emanuel Ax at Winspear Opera House, a Spring Celebration dance performance at Wyly Theatre, and more.

Friday, May 20

2016 Toyota Texas Fest
The Toyota Texas Fest, held, naturally, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, offers live concerts from top country music artists like Big & Rich, Lee Brice, and Kip Moore; an outdoor consumer expo; the Texas Parks & Wildlife Division Outdoor Adventure Area; a Kids Zone; and the 10th anniversary celebration of the Toyota Texas Bass Classic — the championship of professional bass fishing. It runs through Sunday.

2016 Wildflower Arts and Music Festival
Wildflower is an eclectic arts and music festival featuring six performance stages, the Wild Marketplace, the Taste of Texas Food Garden, the family-friendly Kidz Korner, and a whole lot more. Among the headliners are the Toadies, Guess Who, Peter Frampton, Hoobastank, Alien Ant Farm, Soul Asylum, Survivor, John Waite, and more. The festival, going through Sunday, takes place in Galatyn Park, next to Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts in Richardson.

Journey in concert with the Doobie Brothers and Dave Mason
Journey and the Doobie Brothers, both of which got their starts in San Francisco, bring the San Francisco Fest 2016 tour to Dallas. They are joined by Dave Mason at Gexa Energy Pavilion.

Saturday, May 21

House of DIFFA 2016
House of DIFFA: Circo Rouge, presented by Nancy C. Rogers and Richard R. Rogers, is an extraordinary fashion experience that provides an exciting mix of philanthropy, theatrics, and DIFFA/Dallas’ legendary runway production for close to 2,000 patrons. Taking place at the Omni Dallas Hotel, all proceeds go toward grants for HIV/AIDS service organizations in North Texas.

Jason Aldean in concert with Thomas Rhett and A Thousand Horses
Jason Aldean is one country superstar who loves Dallas, as he seems to come back to the area every year. Aldean plays at Gexa Energy Pavilion in support of his forthcoming new album, which contains the recently released single "Lights Come On." He is joined by Thomas Rhett and A Thousand Horses.

Sunday, May 22

Eagles of Death Metal in concert
For many people, Eagles of Death Metal were in an unfamiliar band prior to last November. But their association with the terrorist attacks in Paris has made them well-known. The band's name is a misnomer, as they actually play standard rock songs. They play at the House of Blues Dallas in support of their 2015 album Zipper Down.

Authors Live: Dr. Buzz Aldrin
It's been nearly 47 years since Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first two men to walk on the moon, and that achievement still holds the power it did in 1969. Dr. Aldrin speaks at Highland Park United Methodist Church about his two new books: No Dream is Too High: Life Lessons From a Man Who Walked on the Moon, and the children's book Mission to Mars.

Making a Murderer's Dean Strang and Jerry Buting: A Conversation on Justice
Almost everybody with access to a Netflix account got hooked on the 2015 documentary crime series Making a Murderer. Two of the key figures from that series, defense lawyers Dean Strang and Jerry Buting, are capitalizing on their newfound notoriety with a nationwide tour to talk about the Steven Avery case and its broader implications, as well as a discussion on the larger topic of the American criminal justice system. The event takes place at the Majestic Theatre.

The Lumineers in concert with Soak
Folk rock group the Lumineers came to prominence in 2012 on the heels of the success of Mumford & Sons, gaining tons of fans with songs like "Ho Hey." They've finally released their follow-up album, 2016's Cleopatra, which they highlight in this concert at the Bomb Factory, with support from opening act Soak.

The Toadies are among the headliners at the Wildflower Arts and Music Festival, taking place at Galatyn Park in Richardson May 20-22.

Photo courtesy of KirtlandRecords.com

The Toadies are among the headliners at the Wildflower Arts and Music Festival, taking place at Galatyn Park in Richardson May 20-22.

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Movie Review

Safe cracking is a snap for White Lotus alum Leo Woodall in Tuner

Photo courtesy of Black Bear

Leo Woodall in Tuner.

Of all the ways that movies depict people trying to steal money and other valuables, safe cracking is among the least exciting. By design, it’s a laborious process that only those with a very certain set of skills can do. While clever editing and the right music can enhance scenes of safes being cracked, there’s a reason that the method is among the least used in heist films.

In the new film Tuner, Niki (Leo Woodall) has a job and a condition that just happens to lend itself well to committing that specific crime. He works as an apprentice piano tuner for Harry (Dustin Hoffman), usually doing the hard work while Harry schmoozes the client. Niki is well-suited for the job because he has a rare condition called hyperacusis, which makes him both sensitive to loud noises and able to hear subtle things that others cannot.

When he runs across a trio of criminals trying to break open a safe at a house where he’s tuning a piano, he helps them more out of frustration than avarice. But when Harry goes into the hospital and racks up huge bills, Niki decides to join the group to make some quick money. They soon want more than he’s willing to give, and he must find a way to extricate himself from them without losing himself completely.

Written and directed by documentary filmmaker Daniel Roher (making his narrative feature debut) and co-written by Robert Ramsey, the film has a nice pace to it despite there being relatively little action. Roher and Ramsey spend the first third or so establishing Niki, Harry, and Harry’s wife Marla (Tovah Feldshuh) as characters, letting the audience understand their relationships and how they interact with each other.

The time they devote to the personal storytelling pays dividends when Niki starts to descend into crime, as his divided loyalties - not to mention the danger of the thefts - insert tension into the plot. That stress is heightened even more when Niki starts a relationship with piano student Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu), as getting closer to her necessitates a series of lies.

There comes a point, though, where the plot stagnates to a degree. Niki’s end goal, if he has one, is never clear, and it’s obvious that it’s only a matter of time before things start to fall apart. After starting strong in their character development, Roher and Ramsey take shortcuts as the film rushes toward its conclusion. This is most notable in a weird argument scene between Niki and Ruthie that comes out of nowhere and seems to serve no purpose in the story.

Woodall, who had a memorable turn in season 2 of The White Lotus, is on the cusp of breaking out, and this understated-but-compelling lead role should help him become an even bigger name in Hollywood. Hoffman has a small role, but he remains as interesting as ever despite the lack of screentime. Liu (Bottoms) is also an up-and-coming actor who should become a star with more roles like this one.

Tuner is a low-key thriller that succeeds because of the way the filmmakers approach the under-used method of robbery. Even if it doesn’t quite reach its potential, the film maintains a high quality throughout thanks to its storytelling and acting.

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Tuner is now playing in theaters.

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